Itinerary
Portugal Discovered 25 September - 8 October 2009
Day one: Friday Libson
Arrive at Lisbon Airport, where Sarah will meet you to accommodate various individual arrival times and to arrange transport to the hotel.
The afternoon is at leisure for rest or browsing.
This evening you will be welcomed at a Cocktail Party for a Tour Briefing and Orientation.
After drinks Guests are invited to explore Lisbon. We have provide an annotated Restaurant Guide, including personally tried recommendations. Guests who have arrived directly from Australia, may want to retire.
Your accommodation for the next two nights is at a special inner city hotel with its histroic exterior belying lovely modern rooms and a roof terrace with spectacular views from the Chiado, over the city.
Day two: Saturday Libson
After Breakfast at your hotel,Guests meet for a guided walk through the Alfama, the fascinating, steeply stepped district of old Lisbon which survived the 1755 earthquake.
Lunch is at the historic and atmospheric Casa do Leäo restaurant set in Castelo de Säo Jorge, originally a Moorish fortress from the 6th century, converted into a royal residence in the 12th century and then used as an armoury and prison until the earthquake.
Enjoy the marvellous views over Lisbon and the Tagus River.
After lunch, continue on foot exploring the highlights of the Alfama including the delightful Museum of Decorative Arts, St Vincent's Monastery, the flea market and the Sé, Lisbon's Cathedral.
Return to Hotel.
Tonight join Sarah to savour the nearby Bairro Alto that has an exuberant and safe night life, a magical twilight until almost midnight and a habit of eating late. We will dine together at a favourite restaurant.
Day three: Sunday Belam and Estremoz
After breakfast depart for Belém, situated brilliantly on the banks of the Tagus River.
Enjoy a Guided tour of Belém to see the remarkable Manueline architecture of the Hieronymite Monastery, the Convento dos Jerónimos, the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, the Naval Museum and the entrancing National Coach Museum.
Lunch allows you to rub shoulders with locals relishing their Sunday in the sun. The plazas of Belém are filled with an array of out-door, umbrella shaded restaurants patronised by families and you are free to make your choice.
This afternoon drive to Estremoz, where you stay at the glorious Pousada da Rainha Santa Isabel.
Leisure time this afternoon allows you to enjoy this wonderful Pousada, the jewel in the crown of Portugal's Pousadas.
Tonight's dinner is in the wonderful medieval Dining Room.
Day four: Monday Évora and Etremoz
After breakfast drive through the wide, exposed plains of the Alentejo of Central Portugal, a landscape of ancient olive groves, cork plantations and white washed villages, to reach Évora.
A beautiful walled town significant since Roman times as a major trading post, later as the intermittent residence of Royalty and a university since the 16th century, Évora in 1986 was awarded World Heritage status.
A guided walking tour of this enchanting provincial city illuminates its architectural, historical and artistic treasures.
Our Historian-guide will join us at lunch at one of the local restaurants "frequented by intellectuals, workers and people of good taste".
After lunch the Tour continues to Valverde village and the countryside surrounding Èvora, renowned for some of Europe's most interesting megalithic sites.
Tonight dine together in a very good restaurant in the beautiful walled, hilltop town, Estremoz.
Day five: Tuesday Monsaraz and Marvao
After breakafast, enjoy a beautiful drive from Estremoz to Monsaraz, a wonderful mountain village, overlooking Spain, with its famous tiny bull-fighting ring. Relish an intensely 'real' coffee, in one of the little cafes.
Today's highlight is your visit to Herdade do Esporao winery, a vast, privately owned vineyard complex overseen by the easy going Australian, David Baverstock. David has been in Portugal well over a decade, originally making port in the north, and now winning acclaim for the modernisation of Esporao.
The restaurant here is one of the most renowned in Portugal and David will join in the degustation lunch that highlights the regional dishes of the area.
After lunch, travel east to the quaint and unspoiled fortress village of Marvao with its medieval atmosphere and fabulous views to the Spanish frontier.
There is some free time to amble around the narrow streets and enjoy the long range views over the ancient countryside.
For Dinner, Guests assemble in the Pousada dining room with its spectacular scenic views of the Rio Sever and Spanish valleys, for a regional dinner.
Day six: Wednesday Tomar and Coimbra
After breakfast, walk down the Old Roman Road to the renaissance town of Castelo de Vide. Later depart for Tomar in the Costa de Prata.
Set on the small Rio Nabäo, a tributary of the Tagus, we will have lunch at leisure in the town.
This afternoon, tour the remarkable Convento de Cristo de Tomar dating from the 12th century and the castle built by the Knights Templar. King Dinis founded the order of the Knights of Christ in 1317 to strengthen the Portuguese monarchy and under their Grand Master, Henry the Navigator, went on to finance the voyages of discovery to the west coast of Africa, eventually making it the wealthiest order in Christendom. Building continued until the 17th century and restoration continues to this day.
Later drive to Bussaco Palace, set in one of Portugal's most significant botanical parks on the outskirts of the Spa town of Luso.
The Palace passed to the crown after the secularisation of all religious houses in Portugal in 1834. Used as a summer hunting lodge, the palace, as it is now, was built at the end of the 19th century in the fanciful neo-Manueline style, and turned into a hotel in the early 20th century.
Guests meet in the highly decorative dining room for dinner.
Day seven: Thursday Conimbriga and Porto
After breakfast, leave for Conimbriga for a guided tour of the largest Roman site in Portugal dating from 2nd B.C. where a memorable excavation of the original city and a small museum displaying material recovered during the excavations now reside.
The impressive old University town of Coimbra is nearby and has the loveliest plazas with cafes and coffee shops, as well as tempting ceramic shops selling the local painted pottery.
After your lunch, visit the University precinct including the memorable Bibliotheca Joahina, built in the early 18th century.
Later drive to the wonderful northern city of Porto where you accommodation is a beautiful hotel on the banks of the Douro, for two nights.
Dine by the mighty Douro river, and enjoy the local fish and seafood specialities.
To know Porto, is to walk its' alleys, streets and stairs. Last year it was declared the best night of the trip, by those cavalier enough to walk it together at night.
Day eight: Friday Porto
Travelling by riverboat this morning affords views of this dramatic, medieval city. Disembark and arrive at Vila Nova de Gaia on the south bank of the mighty Douro, home to the port-wine trade and many famous port lodges.
Receive a V.I.P. welcome at Graham's for a tour and tasting.
The afternoon is at lesiure and Porto is good shopping!
Dine in the lovely Hotel Dining Room before an early night, as tomorrow is an early start.
Day nine: Saturday Duoro River - Pinhao
An early departure this morning to reach the sumptuously tiled and decorated train station before boarding your train for the spectacular 3-hour journey east, along the scenic Douro River.
On arrival at Pinhäo a visit to Quinta do Visuvio vineyard, site for the production of port grapes for a tour before lunch.
Since 1756, this is part of the oldest demarcated wine region in the world,
Tonight's accommodation is the superb Vintage House situated right on the River's edge, with a lovely pool and charming dining room.
Day ten: Sunday Viseu and Alcobaca
Travel this morning through dramatic mountain passes from the Douro Valley to the Renaissance town of Viseu with its various street cafes that makes finding a spot for lunch easy.
This afternoon, travelling south-west, reach Alcobaça, one of Portugal's most outstanding monuments, where you have a guided tour of this beloved Abbey built by the Cisterian monks who effected enormous agricultural innovations and established this great centre of learning.
Nearby is the other great monastic monument, Bathala where you check into the delightful Bathala Pousada.
Tonight's special and unique dinner is at Tromba Rija Restaurant, much respected in Portuguese gastronomic circles for its regional cuisine spontanée.
Day eleven: Monday Obidos and Sintra
This morning enjoy the marvels of sculpture and architectural detail of Bathala.
Later drive to the outskirts of the walled village of Obidos - an extremely pretty, much visited national monument town, originally fortified in Moorish times, and later a favourite retreat for royalty as well as a frequent Queen's dowry.
Time to amble amongst the flower bedecked patrician houses and seek out a café for morning coffee or a craft shop amongst the narrow streets.
Continue to Sintra, where we have selected the most charming guest house accommodation in all of Portugal.
The afternoon and evening are free to explore Sintra- once a summer seat of the Portuguese royal family, enjoying a spectacular hill-top setting above the Atlantic.
Sintra enjoys fantastic sub-tropical vegetation and an extraordinary variety of national monuments and fanciful manor houses, surrounded by parklands.
We have a favourite local restaurant for dinner.
Day twelve: Tuesday, Sintra
Sintra is very good for walking, and there is a great deal to explore from wonderful gardens, mansions, palaces, monasteries and charming streets with elegant boutiques.
The Quinta, your residences' gardens and views, are so special that you may be prefer to just stay at the property.
A memorable picnic lunch will be served in the in the gardens of the Quinta.
Tonight's farewell banquet is in the jewel-like village of Colares.
Day thirteen: Wednesday Sintra returning to Libson
After a leisurely breakfast the Tour departs for Lisbon and the Airport via the coast and Cascais
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